Machines



(No Model.)

B. EIGKEMEYER. RIBBED FORMER FOR HAT STRETGHING MACHINES. No. 256.204

Patented Apr. 11

FIE-5- INVENTDH:

N. PETERS. Phmmumo n her, wlshingwll. 0.6.

pivot.

RUDOLF EICKEMEYER, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.

RIBBED FORMER FOR HAT-STRETCHING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 256,204, dated April 11, 1882.

Application filed January 10, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLF EICKEMEYER, of Yonkers, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Ribbed Formers for Hat-Stretching Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following specification, taken in connection with the drawings furnished and forming a part of the same, is a clear, true, and complete description of the several features of my invention.

My present improvements relate to what may be termed expansible ribbed formers, co-operatin g with stretching-fin gers for stretching the tips of hat-bodies. So far as my knowledge extends, there has heretofore been but one variety of formers of this class, which, briefly described, embody a series of ribs radially arranged vertically around a common center, pivoted at their bases, encircled by a spring for contracting them, and combined with a spindle having a spring-cushion for lifting them, and also with a cone on top of the spindle, which, by contact with the upper inner edges of said ribs, forced them simultaneously outward radially, each swinging on its As thus organized, the radial expansion of the ribs is dependent solely upon the rising movementof the spindle after the latter has been so far elevated as to place the ribbed former in working relations with the eo-operative stretching arms orfingers, between which and said former a hat-body is interposed for stretching.

A characteristic feature of an expansible former embodying the main feature of my present invention is its capacity for being expanded and maintained in that condition wholly independently of the mechanism by which it is lifted to and lowered from the stretching-fingers,'and is therefore in no manner dependent upon the lifting of the former itself, and consequently my improved former may as readily be employed in a machine in which the tip-stretching fingers are carried to and from a stationary former as in one in which the former is carried to and from the stretching-fingers, whereas the prior formers mustbe carried to and into contact with the stretching-fingers at their center before they can operate expansively, or the fingers must bya'similar contact actuallydepress the former.

Although I prefer sliding ribs which can be radially moved bodily, as devised by me, I may After a detailed description of formers embodyingmyimprovements,thefeatures deemed novel will be specified in 'the several claims hereunto annexed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical central section of one of my formers as preferred by me, in which the ribs are not expanded, and therefore suited for stretching hats of small size. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same with the ribs fully expanded. Figs. 3 and 4 are plan views of the formerin the two positions as respectively shown in Figs. land 2. Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively plan and sectional views of an upper expanding plate or cone. and sectional views of a lower plate or cone which notonly expands but contracts theribs. Figs. 9 and 10 are respectively plan and side views of an upper guiding-plate and its bolts by which it is connected to a lower guidingplate. Figs. 11 and 12 are respectively edge and side views of detached ribs. Fig. 13 is a front view of the base of the former, Fig. 1, and a pendent locking device and gage attached thereto. Fig. 1.4 is a viewof a pivotedrib formeriu combination with certain features of my invention. Fig. 15 is a view of a former having pivoted ribs and expanded by means of pivoted arms or levers connected to each of said ribs. Fig. 16 is a sectional view, illustrating the employment of a nut in lieu of a lever for expanding the former.

It is to be understood that all ribbed'formers for tip-stretching must afford spaces between the ribs, which are occupied by tip-stretching fingers, and the latter may be variously constructed and arranged-for instance, as variously illustrated in my prior Letters Patent, Nos. 46,553, 91,730, 140,903, 162,540, 167,391, 168,731, 198,876, and 206,168, and as used in automatic tip-stretchers heretofore devised by 1116.

Figs. 7 and S are respectively plan V ICO My improved formers, as preferably constructed byme, involve to some extent the features of construction disclosed by me in my prior Letters Patent, No. 141,338, J uly29, 187 3, for expansible hat-blocks; but said blocks are incapable of use as formers, because they have no intervening spaces between their sections, and also because the form and contour of said sections render them wholly unfit for use with stretching-fingers, and still further, because of the presence in said blocks of a crown or top plate occupying space which in aformer must be left open for the proper reception of the stretching-fingers.

As shown in the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2,

my former A is mounted upon a standard, a,

without illustrating any means by which it. may be bodily raised and lowered; but it will be understood that it may be mounted upon the top of a lifting-spindle prepared to receive it-as, for instance, by means of a flange-cap on said spindle, to which the base plate bis to be bolted.

The series of tip-supporting ribs 0 of the former may be varied in number according to thenumberofstretching-fingers to be employed therewith; but six are generally found to be suflicient. The upper or working surface of each rib is well rounded, substantially as heretofore, and each of them has an inclined inner .ed e as at 0, similar to the corres ondin 7 P edges of the prior pivoted ribs before referred to. Said ribs have, however, as a novel feature, a stem, 0 outwardly inclined at an angle of about sixty degrees, and having parallel edges, as clearly shown; but similar inclined stems and upper inclined inner edges are shown on each of the sections of the expansible hat-block disclosed in my aforesaid Letters Patent No. 141,338.

Each supporting-rib has a midway horizontal bearing-face, 0 which is parallel with the lower end of its stem, so that they are limited to radial movements between the upper surface of a lower guiding-plate, d, and the under surface of an upper guiding-plate, d, firmly secured in position by bolts (1*, extending downward through the lower plate, 01, and the plate a on top of standard a.

Within the standard a is a vertically-sliding expanding-spindle, c, to the top of which is attached a horizontal cone-plate, f, having radial arms slotted at the ends, as shown in Fig. 5, to receive the inner inclined edges, 0, of the ribs. To said expanding-spindle is also attached the lower coneplate, g, mortised radially, and each mortise is inclined, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, to receive the inclined stemsof the ribs. Thislowerplate constitutes adoubleacting cone-plate, because of its acting both to expand and contract the ribs, it being obvious, as thus far described, that if the expanding-spindle is lifted, the ribs, being confined against vertical movement, will be radially expanded or moved outward bodily'by the two cone-plates, and that when said spindle is lowered the outer ends of the stem-mortises in the lower plate cause said ribs to move inwardly. The sides of the mortises serve to maintain each rib in a vertical position. The raising and lowering of said expanding-spindle are effected by means of the hand-lever 72, having its fulcrum at one end thereof on a pendent link, 71., pivoted to the under side of the plate a ,'and this lever is pivoted to a sleeve, h, secured to the spindle below said plate.

For maintaining or looking the ribs in any desired condition of adjustment, a hook, 'i, is employed for engaging with the lever 71. and holding its outer end in an elevated position, said book being pivoted to a block, 70, which is fitted to a pendent bar, 1, and provided with a set-screw, 7c, by which it can be set at any desired point on said bar.

Although I prefer a lever and hook for looking said ribs in their expanded condition, Ido not limit myself thereto, except as hereinafter indicated, because a nut may be relied upon for that purpose, as illustrated in Fig. 16.

For enabling the attendant to set the former for properly stretching a bat to a given size, the front face of the bar I is marked off to serve as a gage, whereby the proper location of the block K may be determined to enable the hook thereon to hold the lever in such position as will cause the ribs to be exactly expanded to the degree desired in each case. The lever, l1ook,block, and gage are substantially as used by me in the expansible hat-block shown and described in said Letters Patent No. 141,338; but, so far as my knowledge extends, no similar devices have ever heretofore been employed in combination with an expansible ribbed former adapted to co-operate with tipstretching fingers.

In Fig. 14 I have shown tip-stretching ribs pivoted at their bases, substantially as heretofore; but there is combined therewith a hollow lifting-spindle, m, within which is an expanding-spindle, 0, having a cone a on top thereof, which is lifted and lowered by means of the hand-lever, and maintained by a hook in any desired position, as before described. With this arrangement an encircling-spring, 0 is necessary for contracting the ribs. In Fig. 15 I show similar pivoted tip-stretching ribs, and an expanding-spindle like that shown in Fig. 14, except that instead of carrying acone at its upper end it has a top plate, f, to which each rib is connected by a link or lever, f, by which said ribs are expanded or contracted by lifting or lowering the expanding-spindle. In each of the arrangements shown the expansion and contraction of the ribs are wholly independent of any vertical movement of the former itself, and although I prefer the nonpivoted ribs, I do not limit myself thereto,except as hereinafter indicated.

Although I prefer a lever for lifting the expanding-spindle, I do not limit myself thereto, except as hereinafter indicated, because I am well aware that approximately desirable results can be obtained if, instead of a lever, a sleeve-nut be employed which is threaded to the lifting-spindle on which the former is mounted, and is internally annularly recessed for engaging with studs or pins which project from near the lower end of the expandingspindle through slots in the lifting-spindle, as indicated in Fig. 16 in a sectional view,wherein c is the expanding-spindle, on the liftingspindle, slotted at 011 and m is the nut by which the expanding-spindle is raised or lowcred, said nut being constructed in two parts and bound together by a band, 112*, as shown. With such a nut a gage may readily be employed for indicating at what points the nut should be located for expanding the former to a given diameter.

In my Letters Patent No. 91,730, June 22, 1869, I show below a former radial brim-stretchin g ribs which are pivoted near the base of the former on which a hat-body is supported, and are capable of being set at various angles to vary the degree of stretchin g to which the brims are to be subjected but said arrangement in no manner affected the former,which could not be varied to serve for stretching hats of various sizes, except so far as was rendered possible by the co-operation therewith of the variable brim-stretching ribs. The operation with my former in connection with tip-stretching fingers would-for instance, with a set of rapidly-reciprocating fin gers-be as follows: The former, being contracted, would receive a hatbody supported on the ribs, and then be placed in operative proximity to the stretching-fingers, and as thestretchingoperation progressed the hat-bod y would be revolved on the former, which would be gradually expanded until the desired diameter was obtained, thus causing difierent portions of the crowntojbe successively presented to the stretching devices or the former may be fully expanded to the required diameter after the hat-body has been placed thereon before presenting it to the action of the stretchingfingers; or the former may be mounted on the sliding spindle of an automatic stretcher, and may be gradually expanded or gradually contracted automatically, so as to present all parts of the hat-tip to the action of the stretching-fingers.

Having thus described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a tip-stretching ribbed former for cooperating with hat-tip-stretching fingers, the combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of tip-supporting ribs which are movahlein radial lines, an expanding-spindle which is lifted and lowered independently of the ribs, and a lock for maintaining the ribs in an expanded condition.

2. Ina tip-stretching ribbed former for c0 operating with tip-stretchin g fingers, the combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of radially-movable tip-supporting ribs, one or more conical blocks for expanding said ribs, and a lock for maintaining them in an expanded condition.

3 In a tip-stretching ribbed former for cooperating with tip-stretching fingers, the combination, substantially as described, of a series of tip-supporting ribs radially movable, with a double-acting conical block or plate which not only expands but contracts said ribs.

4. In atip-stretching ribbedformer, the combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of movable tip-supporting ribs, an expanding-spindle, the lever, and the look by which the ribs are maintained in an expanded condition.

5. In a tip-stretchingribbedformer, the combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of the movable tip-supporting ribs, mechanism, substantially as described, for expanding said ribs, and a gage for determining the degree of expansion.

RUDOLF EIOKEMEYER.

Witnesses:

HENRY OSTERHELD, GEORGE NARR. 

